Automatic rocker and glider



Jan.- 30, 1962 A. zAwADzKl 3,019,052

AUTOMATIC ROCKER AND GLIDER Filed July 5, 1958 FIG. 2.

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States arent 3,019,052 AUTMATIC ROCKER AND GLIDER Antoni Zawatlzki, 43 BSt., Buffalo, N.Y. Filed July 3, 1958, Ser. No. 746,382 1 Claim. (Cl.297-260) This invention relates to rocking chairs, and more particularlyto a rocking chair provided with motor means for oscillating same.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedrocking chair or glider which is simple in construction, which involvesrelatively inexpensive parts, and which is provided with means formechanically rocking the chair or glider when desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved rockingchair provided with motor means for oscillating same, said rocking chairbeing neat in appearance, being smooth in operation, and involving aminimum amount of maintenance to keep it in working order.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGURE l is a side elevational view, partly in vertical cross section,of an improved motorized rocking chair constructed in accordance withthe present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a rear end elevational view of the rocking chair of FIGUREl.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional view taken on theline 3--3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged vertical cross sectional detail view taken online 4--4 of FIGURE 2.

Referring to the drawings, the improved motorized rocking chair isdesignated generally at 11 and comprises a base member 12 including theupwardly convex supporting surfaces 13. Designated at 14 is a chairmember having the downwardly convex arcuate bottom members 15 which aresupportingly engaged on the upwardly convex base elements 13 and whichare retained thereon by respective pairs of fastening springs 16, 16connecting the chair member to the respective members 13, 13 at theopposite sides of the chair member inwardly adjacent to the arcuaterocker bars 15, 15.

The members 13, 13 are rigidly connected by a transverse bar member 17,and mounted on said transverse bar member is a horizontally arrangedelectric motor 18 whose shaft is drivingly coupled through a gear box 19to a drive shaft 20 journaled in a sleeve-like housing portion 21overlying the transverse bar member 17. Secured on the shaft 20 is afirst clutch sleeve 23 provided with the spaced teeth 24.

Designated at 25 is a crank disc member which is rotatably and slidablyengaged on the shaft 20 and which is rigidly connected to a secondclutch member 26 which is disposed adjacent to the first clutch sleeve23 and which is provided with spaced clutch teeth 27 receivable betweenthe clutch teeth 24 of the first clutch member 23. The disc 25 isconnected to the clutch member 26 by a sleeve portion 28 which is formedwith an annular groove 29. Designated at 30 is a clutch shifting leverwhich is pivoted at 31 to a bracket 32 secured to the cross bar 17, thelever 30 being formed with a yoke portion 33 rotatably engaging in thegroove 29, whereby the clutch member 26 is movable into and out oflocking engagement with the clutch member 2.3 responsive to rotation ofthe lever 30.

Secured on the end of the shaft 20 is a stop washer 35 to limit theoutward movement of the crank disc 25 which occurs when the lever 0 isrotated clockwise, as viewed in FIGURE 3.

Connected to the end portion of the lever 30 opposite the yoke 33 is theend of a fiexible Bowden cable 38 which extends through its flexiblesheath 39 and terminates in an operating knob 40 located adjacent theforward portion of one of the arms 41 of the rocking chair body 14. Asshown in FIGURE 1, a bracket 42 is employed to support the sheath 39 inthe position illustrated.

A control switch 43 is mounted beneath the top portion of the arm 41,the switch being wired in circuit with motor 18 and an electric powersupply cord, not shown, whereby the motor is energized when switch 43 isclosed.

As will be readily apparent, when the operating knob 40 is pulledupwardly, the cable 38 rotates the lever 30 clockwise, as viewed inFIGURE 3, causing clutch member 26 to disengage from clutch member 23,thereby disconnecting the crank shaft 25 from the drive shaft 20;Conversely, the disc 25 may be coupled to the drive shaft 20 by pushingthe control knob 40 downwardly.

Secured on the peripheral portion of the crank disc 25 is a post member44, and rotatably connected to the end of the post member 44 is a crankarm 45, a suitable ball bearing unit 46 being provided at the pivotalconnection between crank arm 45 and post member 44, as shown in FIGURE3. Rigidly connected to the lower portion of the back 48 of the seatmember 14 is an outwardly projecting post member 47. Rotatably mountedon the reduced end portion 49 of post member 47 is a bearing block 50,which is rotatable around the axis of the post memyber 47. The bearingblock 50 is received in a rectangular notch 51 formed in the top end ofthe crank arm 45 and is pivotally connected to said crank arm by atransverse pin 52 extending through the upper portions of the betingblock 50 and the crank arm 45. Thus, the crank arm 45 is freelyrotatable around the axis of the transverse connecting pin 52, and isalso rotatable with the bearing block 50 around the axis of the postmember 47. Thus, a universal connection is provided between the crankarm 45 and the lower portion 48 of the chair body 14.

In operation, when the motor 18 is energized by closing switch 43, withthe clutch segments 23 and 26 in interengaged positions, the drivingshaft 20 transmits torque to the crank disc 25 causing said disc torotate, whereby the crank arm 45 transmits rocking force to the chairbody 14. This action continues as long as the motor 18 is energized. Totemporarily discontinue the rocking action, it is merely necessary topull the control knob 40 upwardly, which rotates the lever 30 in aclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGURE 3, disengaging clutch member 26from clutch member 23, whereby torque from motor 20 is no longerdelivered to the crank disc 25.

To deenergize the motor 18 it is merely necessary to open the switch 43,which may be readily accomplished by a person occupying the chair.

While a specific embodiment of an improved motorized rocking chair orglider has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will beunderstood that various: modifications within the spirit of theinvention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it isintended that no limitations be placed on the invention except asdefined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a rocking chair assembly of the type comprising an arcuate base and arocking chair member movably mounted thereon and provided with avertical rotary driving member rotating in a vertical planesubstantially transverse to said base, means defining a drivingconnection between an exposed portion of the rocking chair member andsaid vertical rotary driving member, comprising a crank arm pivoted toand extending upwardly from, said rotary driving member, said crank armbeing formed at its top end with a notch defining a pair of spacedupwardly extending parallel arms, a block member disposed between saidarms with the major portion thereof housed in said notch, a transversepin extending through the upper portion o'f said block member and theupper portions of Said arms, pivotally connecting the upper portion ofsaid block member to said arms so that the block member is swingable insaid notch around a transverse horizontal axis, a post member rotatablyconnected to said block 5 member at a point spaced below said last-namedtransverse horizontal axis and being journaled to said block member onan axis contained in a Vertical plane extending perpendicular to theplane of the block member, and means connecting said post member to theexposed portion of 10 the rocking chair member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ItalyNov. 14,

